Sandable Bottom Paint

[tsl]

I recently refurbished an O'day 39 that was originally sold into the Caribbean charter fleet. I don't know the name of the charter company but the work they did was top notch.
One of the things they did was paint the bottom with what appears to be a coal tar epoxy. This stuff is as hard as nails and likely the reason the boat does not have a single blister. It was so tough we could use silicon carbide for a medea to remove many many layers of old bottom paint. The media opened the epoxy up a bit so I applied several coats of Interprotect. The problem is that the coal tar epoxy was applied with a significant textured finish. We thought about removing it completely but the silicon carbide had considerable difficulty cutting through it and if it did I was afraid it would eat well into the gelcoat before we would know it. And then there was the thought that one should not mess with success. It provided 30 years of blister protection.
The problem now is that I would like to smooth this texture out. I don't want to spend a month sanding and fairing. I'm hoping to hit it each spring with a sander to get the hi spots and then apply another coat of bottom paint. The boat is on lake superior right now and will be in fresh water for a few more years. Does anyone have a recommendation?

[wingless]

The Blue Water Marine Coal Tar Epoxy Data Sheet does not list information on removal or on smoothing.

If complete removal is unacceptable, then maybe the problem can be fixed by removing the bottom paint, followed by an additional application of coal tar, applied smoothly over the existing barrier coat.

[zboss]

Soda blasting can be adjusted to remove just the paint. Speak to a pro and see if this is possible with your boat.